Brief aan Ina van Eibergen Santhagens-Waller c. 1878 - 1938

This letter to Ina van Eibergen Santhagens-Waller, created by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, has such a clear and expressive hand. It makes me think about the act of writing as mark making. I love how the dark ink almost dances on the page. It’s easy to imagine the artist’s hand moving across the surface, each stroke a deliberate, yet fluid gesture. There's a rhythm to the curves and lines, a visual music that reminds me of gestural abstraction and automatic writing. You can almost feel the artist's thoughts flowing directly onto the paper. The varying pressure creates darks and lights, as though Holst is drawing as he writes. For me, it’s a reminder that art exists in so many forms, and that even the simplest act of communication can be elevated to something beautiful and profound. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's scrawls, or the intimate correspondence of Frida Kahlo. It's like catching a glimpse into the artist's mind, a quiet conversation across time.